


Release the Hounds

by FluffyFlydr



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alcohol, Angels sleeping, Destiel - Freeform, Hellhounds, Hunters & Hunting, Lucifer Being a Dick, M/M, My First Destiel Fanfic, My First Fanfic, Original Character(s), Samifer?, Slight fluff, Whiny Lucifer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-05 15:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3124886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyFlydr/pseuds/FluffyFlydr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The three inhabitants of the cage have finally gotten free! No one knows how the cage was broken. But now Lucifer, Michael, and Adam are loose. There would be panic but... instead of wreaking havoc, the boys and their guardian, Time, have decided to bunk with Sam and Dean. On the run from Heaven and Hell, with a litter of Hellhound pups, Dean doesn't think this could be any weirder, and then it seems like everyone is doing whatever they can to get Cas and Dean alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cri- Crack....

“Check,” Michael said as he moved his rook across the squares. Lucifer frowned.

       “Come now, brother, that one is SO easily corrected…” Lucifer gloated as he dashed the rook with his castle so that it was flung off the board. Michael grimaced.

       “Dear Lord, I’m bored,” Michael complained, “how long have we been playing chess for now?” Lucifer looked thoughtful for a moment.

       “Well… 30 years now? Maybe 40?” Lucifer replied. Michael sat back in his seat.

       “That long, eh,” he sighed, clearing the board with a flick of his hand, “it’s lonely without Sammy to bully, isn’t it?” said Michael with a grin. Lucifer laughed.

       “Hey, we still got Adam, don’t we?” Lucifer smirked evilly as Adam glared at him.

       “I can HEAR you, you know…” Adam pouted, “Chuck, you are impossible.” Lucifer smirked.

       “Hey, at least Sammy had actual game ideas,” he said cheekily.

       A little poof announced the arrival of a fourth party. Time stumbled and gasped a little, a bit frazzled from teleporting into the Cage, then straightened her shirt and looked around.

       “Hello, boys,” she said, “good to see you!” Lucifer smiled and stood up. “Hope you all had a nice time while I was gone,” Adam rolled his eyes.

       “What, no message from the guys? Aw, I bet they’re dying to say hi!” Lucifer said. Time tossed her head.

       “Well there was a message from Dean,” she said. Lucifer tilted his head slightly.

       “Well?” he demanded, “Spill!”

Time smirked, then put on her best sugary sweet smile.

       “Dean wanted to say that if I ever saw you again to ‘go screw yourselves, you absolute dicks.’” Michael chuckled.

       “Now that’s more like Dean,” he stated. Lucifer pouted and Adam forced a blank face.

       “Did they forget about me?” he asked stiffly. Time smiled awkwardly.

       “Well…” she hesitated. Lucifer strode over to Adam and grabbed him in a headlock.

       “Don’t worry, we love you!” he laughed, dragging Adam over to time “we’re so friendly!” Adam struggled with Lucifer’s arm, trying to push it off himself.

       “I… Hate… You… so… much…” he gasped. Time gave Lucifer a look to let him know that she wasn’t amused. Lucifer shrugged, smiled, and dropped Adam. Time sighed and rocked on her feet.

       “Anyway,” Time said, “I was thinking that when I next-“ suddenly, a resounding crash echoed through their skulls.

       “Okay,” Adam said warily, “what the hell was that?” the three men turned to Time. Her eyes were wide and she looked like a startled cat with all her fur on end.

       “I…” she stammered, “I don’t… I don’t know?” Michael furrowed his brow.

       “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you, Adam’s a wimp and Luci’s been here this whole time… What was that?” Michael asked. Time turned to look at the walls of the Cage. Nothing seemed that different, and yet… she could hear a slight cracking noise. Time felt around the walls, skimming her hands across the stone. She stomped on the floor a couple times. Nothing.

_Cri- Craaack..._

        “Guys?” she asked, her voice an agitated whisper. Adam, Lucifer, Michael and Time looked at each other, and then slowly turned their eyes to the ceiling.

       A small crack was spreading quickly across the ceiling. Starting from the middle, it became wider and wider, until chunks of the top of the Cage started falling out rapidly and all the inhabitants were forced to shield themselves from the falling material. Then suddenly, quicker than it had started, the noise and the debris stopped and all that could be seen was a bright light. Adam squinted as he looked up, then his vision cleared and he stared, open-mouthed, at the hole. One word escaped his lips;

       “Freedom…”

 

 


	2. Quiet... Ish

“Whoa,” Lucifer was the first to say, “Is that what I think it is?” Michael pursed his lips in a pout.

       “Lucifer it’s not the start of a bad movie or a porno…” Lucifer gave Michael a black look.

       “I’m not Gabe, you know,” he said.

       “Just dicking with you,” Michael grinned. Adam sighed and looked to Time with a long-suffering expression. “Yeah, yeah, Adam, we’ll shut up now!” Time bit her lip.

       “Well I don’t think it’s quite possible but… I’m relatively sure that that’s a way out of the cage,” she said, puzzled, “but why in hell would the cage be opened? I mean; you jerks are in here!” Lucifer looked to Time innocently.

“You’re so cruel sometimes,” he said with a puppy-like pout. Adam looked to everyone in confused aggravation.

       “Guys, if this is a way out, let’s GO, not keep chatting about it!” Michael patted him on the back.

       “Truer words were never spoken! Let’s get out of this hellhole.” Michael declared, and they started their ascent from Hell.

~

       The sun blazed down on an old roadhouse, twenty miles out from Nevada. There was a line of salt on each window, and a black 1967 Chevy Impala in the back, whose trunk hid a secret compartment of weaponry.

       Sam Winchester opened the door of the building, the bell tinkling slightly. His brother, Dean, was sitting back in a chair with his feet propped up against a table.

       “Hey Sammy, want a beer?” Dean offered, smirking slightly and raising his.

       “Uh, no thanks.”  Sam sighed, sitting down on an old couch with his back to Dean. Dean raised his eyebrows and got up from the chair he was resting in, then sat down again across from Sam.

       “What, nothing?” he asked incredulously, and then he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Please don’t tell me you’re looking for a case again,” he groaned. Sam inhaled sharply.

       “Dean, you can’t tell me that there isn’t a case here.” Sam said. Dean shrugged. “Dean, c’mon. It’s quiet!” Sam persisted, and Dean nodded.

       “Exactly!” Dean exclaimed. “I like quiet! Quiet is good!” Sam scowled.

       “TOO quiet.” He specified. Dean grumbled and looked away. “Dean- please. Look at the evidence we have here. No monsters, no demons, nothing. Not even any news from other hunters! And then there was that earthquake a week or so ago, too!” Dean nodded, gesturing with his hands.

       “So?” he asked, “Quakes are normal. It’s called a fault line, dude.” Dean took a long swig of his beer. Sam sighed and sat back.

       “Fine. Maybe you’re right,” he said, getting up and grabbing a beer for himself.

       “Knew you wanted one,” Dean smirked.

       “Shut up.” Sam replied.

       “Bitch.”

       “Jerk.”

       Suddenly, a heavy pounding sounded at the door. Dean heaved himself up.

       “That’d be Bobby. I’ll get it,” he said, walking over to the door and pulling at the handle. “Hey Bobby-“

       “Hello, Dean.” said Lucifer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. The original chapter I wrote was separated by the tilde, (~) but I decided that it would be too short and instead put these two together. Side note: Michael is using Adam as a vessel right now, (again) and Lucifer is just back looking like Mark Pellegrino. Time is about Dean's height or so, still shorter and slightly intimidated by Sam. She kind of looks like Hester (remember? the angel that tried to kill Cas but then Meg stabbed her?) but with straighter hair and less psycho crazy. Anyway... Hi, and thanks!


	3. Meet the Family

**_// Author's Note: this looked so small and sad I mashed together another two. Sorry! //_ **

 

Dean stumbled backwards.

       “What the hell?” he exclaimed. Sam jumped up, seeing Lucifer. He stumbled backwards in shock and fear, grabbing for salt or holy water or whatever he could get his hands on to stop Satan.

       “Oh please. Don’t bother, Sammy,” Lucifer said, holding up his hands. He strolled into the house, followed closely by Adam and a tall blonde woman, who grinned at Dean friendly.

       “Adam?” Sam asked breathlessly. “You- you’re alive?” Adam shrugged.

       “Relatively. Michael’s in here, too,” he said, tapping the side of his head. Sam pressed his lips together in a tight line.

       “Get. Out. Of. Our. House.” he snarled, punctuating his words carefully. Sam grabbed behind him at his gun, hoping that maybe that would hold the three people off.

       “Sammy, Sammy, Sammy…” Lucifer said, strolling towards him, “Guns, they don’t hurt me! You know that… You already tried even the Colt on me, do you really think that a shotgun is going to do much better?” Dean jumped in front of Sam.

       “Whoa whoa whoa, buddy. Hold up a minute,” he said, holding up his hands in a shielding manner, “I don’t know why you’re here, but you’ve been troubling Sammy here enough now. Now get the HELL out of this house or God help me I will find some way to force your ass back through that door!” Lucifer just grinned and laughed. The woman, who before hadn’t said a word, finally sighed and stepped forwards.

       “Okay, break up the meeting. I know some of us are having fun,” she said, glaring at Lucifer, “but we’ve wasted enough time already, and Sam and Dean seem pretty riled up now.”

       “You think?” Dean snorted. The woman closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths.

       “As I was saying. Sam, Dean, I know these fellows aren’t too close to your hearts, but… we need your help.”

~ 

       “YOU need OUR help,” Dean repeated incredulously, looking between the three figures. “aren’t you guys supposed to be the great and powerful archangels? And for that matter, YOU guys are still supposed to be in freaking Hell. What gives?”

       “Well, we don’t know. My name is Time. It’s nice to meet you two, by the way. I’ve been listening to these three rant about you for way too long.” She nodded to the two brothers, who now were looking very alert and keeping an eye on all the strangers in the room.

       “Wait, wait, Time? Like, time, Time?” Dean asked. Time tilted her head slightly.

       “I’m… not sure what you mean by that. I do not govern the time frame, but I am the only Time I have ever heard of.” Dean began to pace.

       “Great, great. Yeah, well once you figure that out, can you please tell us what the hell is going on?!” He started mumbling under his breath. Michael/Adam stepped over to Dean.

       “Praying to Cas, are we? I’m sure he has much more on his mind than us coming ba-“

       “Hello, Michael.” Cas strode in from behind Sam. Michael raised his eyebrows.

       “Or not! Hello, Castiel,” Michael said, smiling faintly. Cas looked around the room at all the inhabitants, and then walked over closer to Dean. They exchanged a look.

       “You should be in the cage, not here,” Cas replied, turning back to face Michael.

       “Sorry, but that went to crap a while ago. You boys really are hard to find, you know?” Lucifer said, wandering up to Cas. Cas jumped back, holding his arm up in front of Dean with his angel blade aloft.

       “Stay back,” he said, his blue eyes glowing brighter, “I don’t need to use this on you yet. Don’t force me.” Lucifer backed up respectively.

       “Okay are we done yet? We need to know what the hell is going on.” Time growled. All eyes turned to Cas. Cas breathed a sigh and shrugged.

“Ah… I can call some other Angels,” Cas suggested. He poised himself to teleport.

“Cas, wait-” there was a quiet swooshing noise, and Cas was gone. Dean dropped his shoulders in defeat. “Well okay then,” he said stiffly.

“Well,” Lucifer grinned, “can we get a bunk bed? Or should I share with Sammy?” Sam and Dean tensed. Dean cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, sure, we’re just going to let one of the most powerful archangels and freaking SATAN camp out here. We’ll have a sleepover and braid Sam’s hair,” Dean ranted.

Time’s eyes lit up.

“Ah, yes! Wonderful idea. They aren’t juiced enough to do anything major, don’t worry,” she winked, “they can stay here with you. I’ll just be off to go find some people, don’t look for me!”

“Wait a minute you-” Dean started, but Time was already gone. “Dammit!” he shouted, slamming his fist down onto a table.

Lucifer smiled cheekily.

“So, bunkbed?”

 

 


	4. House Guests

“You have got to be kidding me,” Dean snapped at Sam, “I can not believe we are actually doing this!” Sam grimaced and handed Dean a blanket. The two were setting up a room for the new unsolicited guests, with a couple of pillows, blankets, and a couch for beds. Dean was openly complaining. Sam was quieter, working with calm-seeming movements, but Dean could tell he was shaking. Whether he was enraged or terrified Dean couldn’t tell.

“Sammy! C’mere!” a voice called from the main room, “Sa-am, Sam, Sam! Pay attention to me!” Sam flinched and Dean tensed. Dean shot Sam a look.

“C’mon. Let’s go tell that bastard to shut his face,” he said, dropping the blanket on the floor. They both walked into the room where Lucifer and Michael were. Both their backs were to the brothers. Lucifer was lounging on a chair, looking suspiciously at a bottle of beer, and Michael was inspecting a pack of it. Lucifer turned his head, smiling slightly, when he heard the footsteps come into the room.

“Sammy! Oh look, it’s Dean too!” Lucifer called, getting up. His face fell slightly when he saw the protective and evil glance Dean was giving him. “What… trouble in paradise, boys?” Dean stormed up to him and stared him right in the eyes, right up in his face.

“You are NOT going to stay here and order Sam around like your damned slave, you hear me? It was bad enough when he was having freaking visions of you tormenting him, and that got fixed. We don’t need your crap here too, you douche!” Lucifer looked shocked, but quickly hid that under an intoxicated look.

“Oooh, you’ve been thinking of me, Sammy?” he asked, fluttering his eyes, "I'm flattered!” Sam’s eyes widened, then he turned and bolted out of the room. Michael looked smug.

“I think you offended him,” he said.

“Shut up.” Lucifer and Dean said together. Dean glared at Lucifer, then stalked out after Sam.

Lucifer pouted.

“Well, that went well...” he sighed, sitting back down and picking up the beer. “This can’t be healthy.” he took a long swallow of the drink and shuddered. “Called it.”

~

It was growing dark when Cas finally came back. His hair was frazzled and he stumbled around the roadhouse for a bit before collapsing on a couch.

“You okay Cas?” Dean asked, coming up behind him.

“I’m fine. I’m just a little… worn out, I think,” he said. Dean sat down on the couch next to him. There was an awkward silence for a bit, just them staring at each other. After a bit, Dean coughed.

“Well… er,” he faltered, “What’s going on up top?” Cas sighed.

“It’s a bit, uh… Mixed,” he said, smiling faintly. Dean waited a moment.

“And…?” he prompted. Cas furrowed his brow, then replied,

“Well, they’ve certainly figured out that the cage was broken, but I do not think that they know where Michael and Lucifer currently are. I believe we may need to put up more angel guarding sigils.” Dean nodded.

“Okay, but is Time going to be able to get back to babysit those dicks if we put up wards?” he inquired. Cas tilted his head.

“Time is not-” he started to say. Suddenly an audible pop rang out, and Time was standing in the doorway.

“I’m back!” She called.

“Speak of the devil,” Dean remarked, turning towards her.

“You called?” Lucifer asked, poking his head into the room. Dean gave him a sour look. Lucifer’s shoulders drooped. “You’re no fun,” he sulked, sticking his tongue out, then trudging back to the room he had just been in.

“If it makes you feel better, I brought someone back with me.” Time announced, her eyes glowing. She turned around for a moment, then dragged a struggling figure in front of her.

“I will not tolerate being dragged around!” the darkly clothed figure squawked, before seeing everyone present and freezing. Taking a deep breath, he put on a lopsided smirk and took a step into the room. “Hello, boys. Guess I’m a little late to the party.” Crowley said.


	5. Bad Timing

“Really? Crowley?” Dean asked incredulously. “Don’t you think we have enough damn problems right now?” Time shrugged.

“You seemed to be handling it well,” she said. A large crash echoed through the house.

“Woops,” Lucifers voice said unapologetically from the other room. Dean looked furious. “You didn’t need that anyway,” Lucifer continued.

“Er… relatively well…” Time corrected. Crowley's eyes darkened.

“Get me out of here. Now.” He growled, his voice dangerously low. He tried to struggle out of Time’s grip, but she held him fast.

“We need him for information.” she offered, “Him being the King of Hell and all, he should know something.” Crowley looked panicked, but tried to hold his calm.

“Look, woman,” he said, “this is not the best time for any of us. You have _Lucifer_ in the bloody next room! How about I just come back later and we can talk then, alright?” Time looked to Cas and Dean, both glaring daggers at Crowley. She cracked her neck back and forth then shook her head. Crowley sighed. “Well then, maybe this will change your mind?” he snapped his fingers. Everyone in the room tensed, but after a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Crowley looked confused, and snapped again. A low whine came from Cas’s left. “Oh come on girl, now? Really?” Crowley asked at what seemed to be the empty air. Dean was standing very stiffly.

“Crowley,” he finally came out with, “What the hell was that?” Crowley chuckled.

“Really, squirrel? It’s not like they didn’t escort you down the first time after your little deal,” he put a hand out at waist level. “Didn’t have time to bring my biggie, so I had to deal with this one. Didn’t expect her to… well. Should've checked.” He held his hand there for a minute, then patted the air. “Good girl,” he said to the invisible creature, “now will you get us out of here, damn it?” he asked, putting his hand back to his waist and turning back to Time. Time sighed.

“Fine. But I’ll be back for you later, and you had better not bring any hellhounds that time.” she warned. Crowley smiled sarcastically.

“Really looking forward to it,” he said. “Now where did that bitch go?” He looked around.

“Don’t tell me you lost it,” Dean groaned. Cas nodded.

“I’ll go search the house. I believe it went towards the kitchen,” he volunteered. Dean looked to Cas with a pleading look in his eyes. Cas returned his gaze. After a couple seconds, Dean broke the stare.

“Right. Cas can search the kitchen and the rest of the house, I’ll… go find Sam, I guess. Tell him about what’s going on,” offered Dean. Cas nodded and walked off. Dean watched him leave, then coughed awkwardly, glancing to Time and Crowley and walked out as well. Crowley turned to Time.

“Were they-?” he asked, gesturing to his eyes and then looking back at their retreating backs.

Time looked upwards and closed her eyes.

“Yup…” she said, sounding half exasperated and half amused. “All the time, pretty much,” she added. Crowley raised an eyebrow.

“Taking their time, aren’t they?” he asked jokingly. Time chuckled.

“Tell me about it. I’m tempted to shove them in a closet with a ring of holy fire then lock it, but I have better things to do with my time. Still tempted, though,” she laughed. Crowley made a noncommittal sound.

“How bloody long does it take to find one hellhound?” Crowley growleyd.

“Shouldn’t you have a leash on that thing?”

“If you’re ambushing someone with an invisible dog you don’t put a leash on it. Have you any sneaky villain skills?”

“Speak for yourself. Remember that time you stole candy from a vending machine?”

“One time! Only once!” They both had small grins on their faces.

There was an awkward silence for a couple minutes, Time still having her hand on Crowley’s shoulder to keep him from disappearing. The uncomfortable atmosphere grew, until Crowley spoke up.

“Well, let’s not become Cas and Dean, shall we?” he said with a smirk. “If Cassie hasn’t found that hound yet, he’s not going to become intelligent and find her all of a sudden.” he took a step forward then stopped short. “Care to unhand me?” Time looked suspicious for a minute, then relented.

“If you disappear I will track you down and our next meeting will be... much less pleasant,” she warned.

Crowley nodded.

“And I’m dead, right. Love you too.” Time tightened her grip for a second, then let go. Crowley promptly disappeared.

“I really should have expected that,” Time said to herself.

“I’m only in the next room, not across the globe.” Crowley’s voice came from behind the doorway. “Such little faith. I really can’t feel the love, you know that?”


	6. Rain on the Windows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not writing / publishing sooner, I've been using the idiotic method of writing at midnight and killing my brain for the rest of the day. So yeah, if any of this sucks it's because my brain hasn't been functioning correctly.

The king of hell was in Dean’s house. For that matter, so was the archangel that tried to use him as a vessel, a hiding hellhound, his long lost brother whom he had left in hell, and Satan. He had a raging headache and no idea what the hell he was doing. The moon was beginning to rise over the horizon, and the stars were just starting to show their light. Dean sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands.

“Dean?” Cas asked, appearing in the doorframe, “Are you alright?” Dean put on a false smile.

“I’ll be fine, Cas. Don’t worry about it.” he asserted. Cas furrowed his brow and Dean sighed. “Look… Did you find that hellhound yet?” he asked, changing the subject rather blatantly. Cas seemed to notice and came in the room.

“No, I was more concerned about you,” he remarked. Dean raised his eyebrows, and Cas continued rather hurriedly, “I should have put up wards sooner, it’s not very safe here. You have too much stress on your shoulders now.” Dean nodded wearily.

“Okay, Cas. Just… find the hellhound. I can deal with everything in the morning.” he told Cas. Dean lay down awkwardly on his bed, pulling the covers over himself. Cas smiled, walking close to him. He quietly put his fingertips to Dean’s forehead, urging him into a peaceful sleep. He took back the steps he had just progressed with, then turned and closed the door quietly, making sure not to disturb the still figure. The smile Dean had shown him hadn’t fooled him in the slightest. He knew the stress that Dean was going through, and the aching worry that hung like a phantom behind his already haggard features. Cas sighed and leaned his head against the door. Why the hell did that man have to be so stubborn, keeping all his feelings inside his head? It wasn’t going to help him in the long run.

“Hey, Cas?” Cas turned his head and stood up straighter. Sammy was walking towards him with a beer in his hand and a worried expression.

“Yes Sam?” he asked.

“Hey man, you okay?” he asked. Cas scowled.

“Not particularly. Dean is not being benevolent to himself.” Sam raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Really? What’s the matter?” he asked.

Cas paused a moment, thinking.

“It is not of import.” he finally responded. “I need to search for Crowley’s hellhound,” he explained.

Sam froze, a look of utter terror on his face.

“Wait, there’s…” he whispered, looking around in a panic, “there’s a hellhound around here? And Crowley?! Didn’t we have enough damn problems right now?” Cas smiled a bit sadly.

“Dean said the same thing,” he commented. Sam was still standing frozen, the beer in his hand shaking slightly.

“Can you just… please… find the hound? I can check in on Dean,” he offered, moving gingerly, but Cas blocked him before he could grip the handle.

“Dean is asleep. I made sure of it,” he warned. Sam grinned smugly.

“Oh did you, now…?” he asked suggestively. Cas blushed and looked down.

“No- I-” he stuttered “I’m going to- um, look for the- uh, hellhound, now,” Cas hurried off. Sam was left smirking and grinning at the angel’s awkwardness. He twisted the handle to Dean’s room silently and peeked in around the door. Seeing Dean sleeping calmly made Sam smile. Usually when Sam and Dean were on hunts or just trying to live at least relatively relaxed, Dean still barely slept and when he did, it was usually broken and shattered randomly by memories or worries or dreams- Dean never actually did tell Sam what made his sleep so disturbed. Seeing him sleeping peacefully and before 12 in the morning was a rare occasion. Sam backed out of the doorway again, closing the door just as silently as before, then walked back to his room, smiling.

~

Cas, Time and Crowley were still wandering around the bunker, poking their heads into various rooms and searching around them thoroughly. It had begun to rain, the dark sky outside masked by the grey raindrops that drizzled down the windows in tracks. The drizzle made a tranquil atmosphere, coursing over the roof of the roadhouse and becoming a murmuring lullabye. Dean was still calmly asleep in his room, which Cas and Time had made sure to avoid, although Crowley had tried to poke his head in a couple times, met with a glare and an offered slap from either of the other searchers.

About all of the house had been explored, and the odd team was becoming discouraged and increasingly aggravated by Crowley. Finally they ended up back in the entrance to the house.

“I haven’t seen the bloody thing anywhere,” huffed Time, collapsing in a chair. Crowley shrugged.

“Well, amusing as this little hunting party was, if I had found it I would’ve told you. I’m sadly at a loss as well.” He announced. Castiel shook his head.

“I have not seen the creature either.” he told them apologetically. Time sighed.

“What the hell are we going to do now?” she asked.

“There is one room I can think of that we haven’t looked in,” Crowley remarked, a smirk on his face. Castiel shook his head more forcefully.

“No. Dean is asleep,” he said, “and the hound is not in there. I have checked.” Cas insisted. Crowley raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, you get to look in on sleeping beauty and we haven’t?” he asked. Cas glared.

“He is sleeping. I made sure of it, and you will NOT be bothering him.” he warned, his already very low voice dropping another octave. He turned his back on the two in a huff. The storm accented his disapproval with a sudden rumble of thunder that made Cas seem like a growling tiger, swishing his tail in annoyance. Time and Crowley exchanged a look.

“‘I made sure of it’?” Time mouthed to Crowley with a small confused gesture. Crowley grimaced and nodded. Time raised her eyebrows.

“Well then…” she muttered to herself. Crowley and Time focused their attention back to Cas. He still had his back turned to them, standing with his shoulders hunched and his arms crossed. “Ahem,” she coughed quietly, trying to catch Cas’s attention. He didn’t seem to notice. “AHEM,” she called, louder this time. Cas snapped back to attention.

“Yes?” he asked gruffly. Time paused awkwardly, not having thought through what she was going to do.

“Well I know this is going to piss you off but there is one room left that we haven’t checked-” noting the menacing look on Cas’s face she hastened to add, “NOT Dean’s room, much as Crowley would like that. I think there may be another room though.” Cas and Crowley looked baffled.-

“Hallucinating already, Time? Thought you needed to spend a bit more time hanging out with Luci before you get those fun little effects.” Crowley suggested. Time replied by giving him a glare blacker than death. The rain seemed to mimic her mood, pattering down less in the calming, peaceful pattern of before and becoming a stronger and harsher downfall, drumming onto the room and echoing through the halls of the roadhouse. Crowley took little notice at the fuming atmosphere and instead continued. “From what you told me, the only other room this shoddy place has that we haven’t looked in is squirrel’s, and Cassie seems to be very… protective of that sleeping nightmare.” Time sighed.

“Sorry. Whatever. Anyway, just follow me. I’ll show you it,” she instructed. Crowley complained a little, but Time brushed it off. She led the Angel and the Demon through a couple rooms, brushing her hand against the wall. She finally came to a stop at a folding door.

“Here we go!” she exclaimed. She pulled at the handle a couple times, but seemed to have some difficulty with it. “Dammit. Crowley, get your Demon-y strength to work on this damned door!” she complained. Crowley sighed and shuffled over to her.

“How did you ever function without me?” he asked jokingly. Time scowled. Crowley grinned back and tugged on the handles a couple times, then they swung open. “See? Rather easy-” Suddenly, Time darted right up to him and shoved him, slamming him through the opening doors. “What the hell, woman?” Crowley shouted, stumbling and crashing into the far wall which seemed much too close for a normal room.

“I hinted to this earlier, don’t you remember our little chat?” Time asked, a smile curling at the edges of her lips. Crowley looked confused, then started to move forward to Time with a dark expression on his face. A crash of thunder echoed through the house and Crowley was stopped short. He looked up at the red paint of a demon trap, painted cleanly on the ceiling of the walk-in closet he was now trapped in.

“Bollocks.” Crowley cursed. He opened his mouth to yell but was stopped short. Time held a finger to her lips.

“Better be quiet, unless you want to wake the ‘sleeping nightmare’ and alert the big bad Luci,” she remarked to him. A grin played openly across her features as she slammed the doors shut, blanketing Crowley in darkness.


	7. The Twilight Bark

Cas eyed Time with a startled and suspicious expression. Time hardly seemed to notice, dusting her hands off and then turning around sharply on her heel. She began to walk back down the hall.

“Coming, Cas?” she asked, not moving her head to face him.

“I see no reason to go anywhere with you.” Cas spoke up. Time paused. Both figures seemed like they were frozen. The rain barreled down outside the windows, reflected in Cas’s blue eyes. Time turned back to Cas. She was still smiling slightly but her smile was a little fainter and a bit more puzzled.

“What? I didn’t lie about the room, you know.” She informed him. Cas scowled.

“If you were not lying, why did you trap Crowley?” he demanded. Time’s expression changed to one full of innocence.

“Why not? He wouldn’t have liked where we need to go, anyway.” Time answered. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, or maybe just the reflection of the rain or the moon again, but Time’s eyes were suddenly filled with the colour of the sky, grey and wet. They seemed almost like the ocean, as if you could get lost or even drown in them. They were dangerous and sharp, but they also seemed… conflicted, and sad. Cas stared at her, studying her face. Time blinked and looked down, brushing the back of her hand over her eyes. “Remember the first time Lucifer rose?” she asked, pulling Cas back on track with her words. Cas nodded, looking away.

“I don’t see how that-” Cas started to say.

“Shush. Let me finish.” Time interrupted. “The only rooms we haven’t looked in are the ones each of us made sure to avoid. For you, that was Dean’s room, but I kept us away from the big boys’ room. Can’t have Lucifer going bat shit crazy and Crowley escaping yet, can we?” Cas nodded hesitantly, but still looked rather confused.

“I would expect Lucifer to injure the hound in some way if it found him,” he questioned. Time laughed.

“Are you kidding me? That big old sap is probably freaking out. He’ll play it cool when we get in there, don’t worry. I’m sure the bitch is in there too.” Time asserted. Cas nodded again, more sure this time. He took another glance at the closet, and could practically hear Crowley screeching in his head. He sighed and walked to Time, hanging slightly behind her shoulder but walking with her. Time smiled and turned, and they both wandered down to the room that the Winchesters had set up for the Archangels.

When they had reached the door, Cas and Time contemplated who would open it. Neither one wanted to disturb the brothers inside.

“They’re your brothers,” Time hissed.

“My brothers but your responsibility,” he whispered back. After bickering quietly for a couple minutes, they finally decided that they would knock and let those inside decide who was to open the door. Time knocked a couple times in short bursts. They waited a minute. Then another. Time knocked again, but there was still no answer. Finally, Time got fed up.

“Hey, anybody still alive in there?” she called sarcastically.

Still there was silence, the only sound being the storm raging around the house.

Time groaned and pulled on the handle, but nothing happened. She furrowed her brow and pulled again. When the door yielded nothing, she shook the handle hard, but still nothing happened.

“Well, sorry guys, but you’re gonna need to repair this door again…” Time sighed. She backed up a couple steps, then got into a fighting stance.

Cas covered his eyes and exclaimed, “Time, please don’t do what I think you’re about to-”

Time kicked in the door.

“-do…” he finished. Time flexed her leg.

“I probably should have thought that through a bit more,” she winced. Cas poked his head through the door, but the room beyond was dark and unyielding. Time rubbed her leg, and peeked her head in beside Cas. She frowned, and strolled into the room.

A blade suddenly shot out of the darkness and instantly pressed into her throat. Time let out an undignified screech. The sound spread through the house, and all the household had heard. In a single instant, everyone had jumped to action. Still trapped in the closet, Crowley banged on the doors and shouted. Cas drew his blade and poised his arm to attack. Dean shot up in bed, suddenly wide awake, no longer calmed by the rain and completely alert. Sam, reading books in the main room, jumped up and grabbed his knife, skidding to the site of the sound. Both Cas and Sam jumped to Time’s rescue.

Time shut her mouth quickly, stopping her scream. After a split second of frozen panic, Time’s reflexes kicked in. She jolted backwards and snapped her arm up, twisting the hand holding the offending blade backwards and slamming it down. There was a satisfying thump as her attacker hit the floor. Time took a breath, her nerves still on end, then flipped on the light. Adam was facedown on the floor. For a couple seconds, everything seemed to stand still. Time’s expression contorted with different emotions. She took a deep breath to calm herself, stood still for a moment, then exploded.

“ARE YOU BLOODY KIDDING ME, YOU ASS?” Time outright screamed. “HOW THE HELL DID THAT SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA? YOU ARE LUCKY I DON’T STAB YOU RIGHT NOW!” Adam looked up from the ground, his face the very expression of pure terror. Time could tell that yes, this was Adam, not Michael, from the fact that he would even do something this dumb or get tricked into it. “ALRIGHT, WHERE THE HELL IS MICHAEL?” Time shouted. She examined the room, fuming. Michael was not to be seen, but Lucifer was lying on the floor as well, having fallen off a chair laughing. “I HATE YOU ALL.” Time hollered. Sam walked cautiously up to Time and tapped on her shoulder.

“Uh… Time?” he asked hesitantly.

“WHAT?” Time demanded, spinning around viciously. Sam quickly backed up. “No- wait, I just wanted to ask if the hellhound was in there…?” Time ran a hand through her hair.

“Hellhound. Right.” she reminded herself. Nudging Adam with her foot, she stomped into the room. Time looked around for a couple seconds. She walked further into the room and kicked Lucifer slightly as well. Lucifer didn’t react much to the kick. He seemed to be having trouble breathing, then getting his breath back slightly and laughing crazily in other short bursts.

“What’s wrong with Lucifer?” Sam whispered to Cas.

“His sense of humour is… abnormal,” Cas muttered back. Lucifer was giggling silently now, his body shaking with hysterics. Sam sighed and took the knife from Adam’s hands and put it in his back pocket, then grabbed Adam’s hand and helped him up. Cas turned his eyes on him.

“Why did you attack Time?” he asked. Adam looked sheepish.

“Well…” Adam shrugged. “We were just making sure the room was protected?” he suggested. Cas narrowed his eyes.

“In a house with at least four other people, and you protect it by having someone wait inside the door with a knife?” Adam winced.

“Well… I mean we were going to try anyway,” he added. Cas didn’t look like he was buying it, so he went on, “Lucifer bet that I couldn’t get the jump on Time, so of course I had to try,”

“That is the most goddamned stupid idea I have ever heard,” Time’s voice came from inside the room. She had finished hunting around the room, and, finding nothing, she turned to opening drawers and cupboards. “Where the hell… Oh!” Time had her head inside a closet, holding the door open.

“Uh.. Hi?” Michael spoke from inside the closet. He was squatting on the ground, now inhabiting the body of an older man with light brown hair and green eyes.

“There you are you dick, why the hell are you in a- oh, crap.” Time complained. Sam stepped into the door.

“Time? Are you okay?” he asked. A whining, panting noise was coming from the closet as Time kneeled down before what seemed to be empty space and Michael. They both were looking at the floor. Michael’s face was turning slightly green. “What’s going on?” Sam questioned warily. Lucifer, sitting up from the floor, made a face between a grimace and a grin.

You always wanted a puppy, right Sammy?” Sam gave him a questioning look. ““Well… Now you’ll have about a half dozen.” Lucifer remarked. Sam’s eyes became as wide as saucers.

“Oh. Shit.”


	8. Dammit, Sam!

After a series of people and angels panicking, a large amount of barking and a bit of blood, the noise from the hound had ceased and Time and Michael were sitting calmly on the floor. Sam looked sick.

“I’m… I’m not going to clean that up.” he stuttered shakily, staring at the blood on the ground. Time waved her hand.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get it.” she muttered off-handedly. She passed her hand through the air slightly, then yelped and pulled it back quickly, nursing it. She bit her lip then smiled. “Sam, c’mere,” she called. Sam clenched his jaw, and looked to Castiel. He nodded. Sam tensed, then stepped slightly into the closet. Time gathered up what seemed to be the air in her arms, then stood up and spun around, dumping it into Sam’s outstretched hands. He gasped at the sudden weight of the invisible thing in his arms.

“Are these…?” he trailed off. Time nodded happily.

“Hellhound puppies!” she announced. Sam smiled halfheartedly.

“Alright, that’s… wonderful. Really. But um, I’m sure you’re much better suited to this than I am. You can take this back now,” he tried to hand it back to Time, but she resisted.

“Come on Sam, it’s a dog! Just put a leash on it so you can see it, right?” she suggested. Sam looked skeptical, but the whimpering and happy squealing sounds of the puppy in his hands seemed to warm his cool exterior. The puppy barked and nuzzled him. Sam tried to hide his smile, but failed.

“Well…” he sighed. Time’s grin grew wider. “Wait, I just- listen, um, can you just… tell me what it looks like or something?” he asked. Time opened her mouth, but Michael cut her off.

“I’ll tell you, just let me out of this damn closet, alright?” he suggested, standing up. Lucifer shifted at the other side of the room.

“Speaking of closets, what’s up with the amount of those things here? You can’t have that much plaid and flannel and whatever, even if it does seem like the only thing you ever actually wear,” he added into the conversation. “really, you should take some better fashion tips. For that matter, take Cassie to a couple of your sessions too!”

“Shut up, brother.” Michael sighed.

“ I dunno, someone probably had some sick fascination with this place and closets,” Sam answered, choosing to ignore Lucifer’s comment.

“Or coming out of them,” Time muttered under her breath. Michael sputtered and coughed, covering his mouth with a fist. Time smirked slightly and stepped out of the small space. “Right,” she huffed, “Michael, tell the guy what his little pup looks like, kay?” she told him, gesturing to the imprint in Sam’s arms. Michael tilted his head slightly and went up to Sam, prodding the creature in his arms. It squealed and wriggled away from him. Sam instinctively curled away from him, protecting the body. Michael scowled.

“I can’t look at the thing if you keep hiding it,” he commented, pulling it back to himself. Sam grunted and unwillingly moved back so that the dog was in sight of Michael. “Much better,” Michael smiled. He looked the thing over twice, then looked up. His eyes were level with Sam’s chest. Michael clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, then looked up higher to Sam’s viewpoint.

“Well?” Sam asked impatiently. Michael frowned.

“Kind of a dinky little thing,” he commented. Sam glared, stepping closer to him and making the height gap more noticeable. Michael stepped back by compulsion. “Er... “ he faltered, then realized what he was doing and stepped forward again. He looked back down at the little hound. “It’s… It kind of like a spaniel. Short, curly fur, fluffy and super cute,” Michael said sarcastically. Lucifer rolled his eyes and walked up to Sam. Peering over Sam’s shoulder, he remarked,

“Hmm… I’d say keep it. Being the runt is always fun, as is shaggy brownie hair like yours, Sammy,” he turned his head to Sam’s face and smirked. Sam coughed, turning his head the other direction and shuffling awkwardly away. Lucifer side-stepped closer, grinning.

Time hit him on the head.

“Okay, back off, you little shit,” she said playfully. She patted Sam on the shoulder and started to move towards the door. “Let’s get Sammy’s puppy dog a collar and… Oh crap. Dean is going to kill us.” Time froze in realization. She pulled Sam by the arm out the door. “Change in plans, we’re going to hurry the hell up to get your dog a collar, then we’re going to figure out a good argument for Dean to-”

“For me to what?” Dean asked from behind Cas. Time’s eyes grew wide, then she drew herself back under control.

“Dean! Good, we needed to get you up to speed,” she called. Time walked forward, blocking the room currently holding about all the ally angels and their current secret. She motioned to Michael behind her back to close the closet. Dean tilted his head around Time’s shoulder.

“Are you hiding something?” he asked suspiciously.

“No,” Lucifer piped up, much too quickly.

“You are!” Dean replied, stepping closer to the room and trying to shove Time out of the way.

“Look, not important, everything’s cool, we’re all good, calm down,” Time babbled, blocking Dean’s reach. They engaged in a game of dodging and fainting, evading each other. Time was forcing Dean to stay at bay, but Dean was putting up a good fight trying to get past her.

“Look, just STOP!” Dean shouted. Time stopped moving, but held her posture and nerves on end warily. The other inhabitants of the room were quietly sneaking around, holding the little invisible weights, sneaking them out the door. “This is MY house, and I am not going to tolerate lying and cheating and all of this- this- absolute CRAP happening behind my back, got it?” He yelled. Time winced slightly, but kept herself otherwise still.

“Okay. We haven’t been the most… forthcoming, but I can assure you it’s for a good reason.” Time explained, taking a deep breath, “You needed your sleep, Cas certainly wouldn’t let us disturb you, and you wouldn’t be the happiest with all of this.” Dean looked confused and irritated and tired all at the same time.

“Try me.” he sighed, putting his head in his hand. Time looked nervous.

“Shouldn’t Cas or Sam explain this to you or… I mean I might, ahem. I’m sure your brother or your angel would be much better suited to explaining this than me?”

“Brothers, actually,” Adam called from the back of the room. “Wow, forgetting me again? You too? Thanks, Time. Really appreciate it.” Adam commented. Time jumped.

“Dammit Adam, maybe we wouldn’t be startled and forget about you so much if you weren’t so damn quiet all the bloody time!” Time roared, turning on Adam. “Okay?” she added to him, before spinning back to Dean. “Now, civilized conversation without getting completely ticked off at someone. Not one of my strongest suits.” Time said, her irritance showing fully now. “Okay. Here’s the cliff notes: Cas got Crowley in here, who brought a female hellhound that was pregnant,” here she paused at Dean’s twinge. “shut up, you. Don’t act all squeamish now. You've seen worse. Anyway, the hellhound was all fine until she escaped and hid, so you went to sleep, and Crowley, Cas, and I went on a hunting party. All fine and dandy, then we had to come in here and I wasn’t going to let Lucifer or Crowley screw each other up, so I locked mister Hell King in one of your bajillion closets, showed up in here, found Michael with a hellhound and its pups, and now we have invisible puppies. Got it?” Time finished with a glare. Dean looked mildly surprised.

“It works, I guess,” he grunted.

“Good. Wonderful, really. We’re done here, we’re all good, everything is fine! Big happy party and all that." Time babbled.

“No, no, no. This is not over.” Dean growled. “Explanation was good, that was all good. But we are not keeping hellhound puppies anywhere, under no circumstances.” Sam frowned and stepped forwards from behind Time.

“Dean,” he started, but Dean cut him off.

“Sam, I know your weakness for dogs. But no dogs allowed in Baby or anywhere else around here, especially hellhounds!” he argued. Sam took a deep breath. “No, Sam. We can’t take little puppies on a hunt, they’re going to get us or them killed. We gotta move around, too. We’re only here because of a hunt, and bringing a puppy back to the batcave... Just no.” Dean added.

"A hunt?" Time interjected, but the boys ignored her.

“Okay, I get your points, but look at the upside, Dean! With hellhounds, fighting Demons and other creatures off will be so much simpler, and we can track them much easier just like Demons do,” Sam reasoned.

“Exactly, like demons do,” Dean shouted. “We’re not demons, Sam! We don’t control hellhounds!”

“Well, actually you can…” Lucifer mentioned. “As long as you’re the one to raise it, you’re the lucky guy that gets to command the pup.” Sam grinned triumphantly.

“See? As long as we raise them, they’re no threat to us or anyone else! Otherwise what are we going to do? Just leave them out where any demon could get to them?” he asked. “Look, if we take them with us we have a better chance than ever to figure out what the hell is going on. Keep demons from attacking us. Keep all those angel dicks out of our hair!” Sam rationalized.

“‘All those angel dicks’ are still my brothers,” Michael frowned. Both Winchesters turned and scowled at him, then returned to glaring at each other.

“Reason we don’t keep them is that we kill them.” Dean answered forcefully. He frowned at Sam’s startled look. “Oh don’t be like that,” he scoffed. “We’ve killed worse things than this,” Sam still didn’t look convinced. “cuter things, too. This shouldn’t bother you, Sammy!” Sam bit his cheek.

“Well, too bad. We’re not killing these dogs, they’re only puppies,” he insisted.

“Look, you get rid of them or I do. End of discussion, dude.” Dean shook his finger at Sam and turned, stalking away.

“Wait, Dean,” Cas spoke, trying to halt him. Dean brushed past him.

“End of discussion, Cas.” he growled. “I’m going back to bed. See you in the morning.” Cas eyed Dean with a forlorn expression, watching him trudge down the hall back to his bed.

“Don’t worry, Cassie,” Michael said, gathering the undetectable bundles into his hands. Cas gave him an exasperated glance.

“How can I not be worried?” he asked. He glanced at Dean’s retreating back. “This is his house,” he offered, changing the subject.

“Bullcrap. It’s my house too.” Sam countered. Cas sighed, his glance shifting around the floor. “You don’t seriously side with him-” there was a faint rustling that shook the curtains slightly, and Castiel was gone. Sam twinged. “Why the hell does he have to do that every time?” he asked irritably. Time raised an eyebrow.

“Seeing as Dean and his crazy angel are gone, whaddya say we get Crowley out of that closet?” she asked.

“Right… Mister new king is stuck in a closet. How about you introduce me?” Lucifer suggested. But of course, since it was Lucifer, this wasn’t a suggestion. It was a demand. And a very threatening one at that.

 


	9. I'm coming home

“A leader becomes an outcast, then a fugitive. You sure get around a lot, huh.” Time remarked as she led Lucifer down the hall.

“Rude. I thought we were buddies?” Lucifer shot back lightly.

“Still, it’s true isn’t it?”

“Bitch,”

“Will you two please discontinue your stupid squabbling?” a muffled voice came from behind a door which was closely camouflaged to the rest of the wall. Time and Lucifer paused mid step.

“Damn, I thought there were at least a couple more doors than that.” Time swore.

“I thought you had a prettier mouth on you?” Time and Lucifer could almost hear the smirk that accompanied Crowley’s words. “Petty squabbling seemed below you, and reminiscing about each other’s loose ends isn’t going to do much, is it?” Time’s face was stony but her eyes clearly showed how pissed off she was.

“Alright, I’m not about to stab you, but if you make another comment like that and I might. Seriously though, might wanna watch out. My friend here is a lot more unstable than me,” she warned, elbowing Lucifer in the side and reaching to pull on the closet doors.

“Wait,” Crowley whispered. Time paused, her hands still on the handles.

“What?” Time whispered back, leaning her head nearer to the wood. Lucifer eyed Time suspiciously.

“You’re leaning into the doors, right? And the person with you isn’t?” Crowley whispered cautiously. Lucifer made a move to bend forwards as well, but Time waved him off. She made a quiet noise of affirmation. Crowley continued: “Okay. Look, if the person you have with you is who I think it is,” he paused.

“Yes?” Time prompted.

“DON’T OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR!” Crowley shouted. Time reared back and covered her ringing ears.

“Dammit, you douche!” she called shakily. Lucifer guffawed.

“Douchy, yes, but a sense of humour,” he observed.

“Shut up, you.” Time glared. “Right, I’m coming in, keep your pants on.” Crowley huffed.

“So dirty. So, so dirty.” he mourned.

“I wonder why I ever wanted to hang out around you,” Time said, shaking her head. She pulled on the handles, but nothing seemed to happen. Frowning, she tugged again. The doors still refused to open.

“You wanted to hang out around me? How sweet,” Crowley commented.

“Know what? You can shut your face too.” Time grunted, yanking the handle. “Oh bloody hell!” she cried, pulling on the door again. “Damned doors.” Time gripped the handle fully in her hands and tugged forcefully, but instead of pulling the door open as she intended, the handle shot off in her hands. Time sighed, looking irritatedly to Lucifer. “I wonder… seriously, how many damn doors do I have to break in this house before everything goes my way?” Crowley coughed.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it had better not ruin the suit,” he warned. Time smiled sarcastically.

“Whatever you say, buddy.” She agreed, and shoved her hand through the wood. “Ow. Again.”

“My suit!” Crowley’s irritating voice droned on, complaining, but Time paid no mind as she rolled her eyes and pawed around the inside of the door for the lock.

“There we go,” Time said triumphantly, unlocking the door and drawing her hand back out of the hole, then finally opening the door. She dragged the panels open, revealing Crowley looking slightly startled, brushing minor splinters off his coat.

“Hello, Crowley.” Lucifer smiled, a sinister glint in his eyes.

“Lucifer.” Crowley responded. “So, going to kill me and take my throne or stand there calling each other names?” Lucifer chuckled, tilting his head.

“I would choose the former, but Sammy already has to clean out one closet.”

“God, remind me never to leave you two alone together anywhere,” Time groaned, rolling her eyes. “Luci, do whatever you needed to- without killing or injuring Crowley- and we can send him back to his palace or whatever he’s calling that dump.”

“I beg your pardon, my palace is not a ‘dump’, and if you will let me out of this demon trap I will refrain from setting my black-eyed boys on all your asses.” he glared.

“Yeah, yeah. Luci, what’d you need?” Time asked, brushing Crowley aside. Lucifer shrugged.

“Dethroning and killing him was my intention, but since killing him is out of the question a little torture and humiliation can stand in…” Time let out a sigh of exasperation.

“We only just got back, buddy. Unless you want a pack of angels on our tails, no ruling hell and NO torturing the current king, even if he is a bit of a bastard,” Time reasoned.

“I might be a bastard, but at least I’m your bastard,” Crowley added cheekily.

“Wow, now you just sound like Metatron.” Time scoffed.

Lucifer’s eyes glinted.

“Metatron?” he ventured. Time nodded.

“That ass is locked up in heaven, but he’s the one that made heaven go boom and all the angels drop their homes.” she explained.

“He’s a mere prophet. How did that happen?” Lucifer snarled.

“Get Sam or Cassie to explain it to you. I gotta get mister King here on his way back to his mommy.” Time unsheathed a knife from her pocket and scraped away at the paint of the devil’s trap, grabbing Crowley’s arm. “By the way, keep an eye on that woman. She’s a witch, even if she’s your mother,” she advised. Crowley gave her a look that. Time shrugged, and they both disappeared. Lucifer frowned, suddenly alone. Perhaps he could stalk them, or track down Sammy or his brothers, or… an owl hooted outside, and the moonlight suddenly seemed much more prominent. Better to go back to his room and pester everyone in the morning. He shut the door of the closet, grimacing at the holes left by Time, and turned down the hallway back to his makeshift bedroom.


	10. A field of Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I happen to be really sick at the moment, so writing is gonna be a bit of a problem for a bit. Here's a really short chapter that I promise will tie in once I get the next one finished!

Far away from the conflicting calm and unrest of the bunker, all hell was about to break loose. The stars seemed red, almost like blood. The moon shone as the stars did, a cruel light in the dark. No one, not even the angels, knew about the carnage that was about to unfold. There was only one who had foreseen this. Metatron. He sat in his cell in heaven, counting down the minutes, rubbing his hands together in sadistic glee. His night guard watched him suspiciously, hand on their blade. Metatron smirked at them, waving his hand to imply that no, he wasn’t doing anything. Heaven was mostly peaceful, the angels resting peacefully.

Down on earth, however, not all was as tranquil.

A field teemed with hordes of monsters and demons of all kinds. The red celestial bodies in the sky seemed like an omen of their intent. Their sinister grins stretched wide.

“He has risen,” they cackled, “He is free!” the creatures laughed maniacally as they looked at their prey, trapped in the center of their ring of death. Their prey was small group of hunters that were clustered together, back to back. The hunters watched the advancing hordes in terror, knowing that they had no hope of escaping alive. These hunters were a family, and had expected merely a small nest of vampires. They had only machetes, and while those might hold the monsters back for a while, death was an inevitable part of the situation.

“I’m so sorry,” the father whispered to the rest of his family, reaching behind his back to grab for his wife’s hand. His wife was crying but she smiled and tried to quiet herself.

“It’s okay.” she replied, laughing shakily through her tears. The small group pulled closer as the oncoming hordes closed in on them. The masses laughed as they closed the gap, the brightness of the hunters’ lives darkening as the swarms attacked, one after one, until the light finally...

 

  
disappeared.


	11. Angel-Bucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh I'm so, so sorry that I haven't been posting anything! School work and other problems have been pretty big... I hope this chapter might make up for it. This is much, much happier than the last chapter.

The bright sun streamed through the window, casting its happy light into Dean Winchester’s room.

His alarm was ringing, broadcasting to him that it was 5 in the morning. He rolled over and hit the button to stop it, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He had slept like a log, Castiel putting him to sleep for the start of the night. After Dean waking up and squabbling with his brother Sam for a while, Cas had again helped him to calm down and rest. What had that argument been about, anyway? It took a minute, but then Dean remembered. Right. The damn hellhounds. What the hell was the rest of the house even thinking? Dean's head was starting to ache again, so he banished the thought for the moment. Dean stretched again, and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He mussed his hair about, then dragged himself upwards and off the bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he opened his door and wandered out. He was wearing a pair of boxers, but no one was awake yet so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. He paused a second and popped his head back into his room to grab a bathrobe from beside his night stand. Dean shrugged it on and walked out into the hallway again, heading towards the bathroom for a shower.

Turning on the hot water for the tap, Dean let himself relax and just feel the water wash over himself. The water was divine, just the right temperature for his aching body and mind. Soft and caressing... like angel touches. Like Cas. Dean had the sudden thought of Cas, letting his soft hands touch upon Dean's neck, his face, and lower... His eyes snapped open and were immediately met with the hot water. Floundering about, he reached out of the shower to grab a towel and rub the water out of his eyes. Dean shook his head to clear his vision. _Thinking about a dude doing... that? In the shower?_ Dean asked himself. Rgh. No, it was only one time. Dean thought back to all the hook-ups he had. He liked chicks, not dudes. Chicks before dicks. Anyway, Cas was only his friend. His… ‘guests’ were making snide noises, but what the hell did they know? Nothing. The had only been here for a day, even though to him it really felt like a lifetime... But Sam hadn’t said anything to him, so if he hadn’t noticed anything, there shouldn't be anything to notice. _Keep telling yourself that_. Dean made a face. Fighting with himself in his own mind... This could only go well, right? Dean sighed and decided that if he was going to ponder what the hell was going on in his head and his heart, he was going to do it out of the shower. He grabbed the shampoo and lost himself in the water.

After a bit of personal hygiene, Dean was finally looking somewhat presentable. He had dragged on a nice purple flannel shirt and some comfortable jeans, and he looked pretty good. Yeah, looked pretty good, but his attitude at the moment was worse than satan. Who was in his house. Damnit. Bad mood engaged, Dean stomped down to the main room, intending to get himself some coffee. He rounded the couch- and was surprised to see a familiar face snoozing there. Castiel lay tucked up under a throw blanket, humming in his sleep. Dean immediately froze and started tiptoeing to the kitchen, trying not to wake the sleeping angel. But as he passed the couch, Cas twitched and woke with a start.

“Wha- what?” he groaned. Dean grimaced.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep, Cas. I was just getting some coffee.” Dean assured him in a whisper. Cas pawed at his eyes and pulled the blanket off of himself, gathering it in disarray and placing it next to himself as he sat up.

“Oh... I’ll make some…” he mumbled blearily, getting up and brushing past Dean on his way to the kitchen. He pulled at the cabinets, grabbing out bottles and containers seemingly at random. Dean noticed that he put together a couple piles. He didn’t recognise any of the mixtures. Presumably, they were for Cas’s siblings, himself, Dean, and Dean's brothers. A little sugar, some cream, and milk were the customary ingredients set out. But there was also cinnamon, whipped cream, vanilla extract, and a bit of... butter? Cas bustled about gathering energy, brewing the individual coffees with his odd additives. His moves were sharper than Dean’s by now, and definitely cognitive. Dean’s senses were clearing though, and smelling the coffee was helping to improve his mood.

“Hey, Cas?” he asked after a few minutes, realizing something, “Why were you sleeping on the couch?” Cas shrugged, not turning from his work.

“There was never a place set up for me, and I found it would be impolite to disturb you. I hope this was not a problem,” he answered. Dean frowned. He knew that angels did sleep, although not so much as people. But yet he hadn’t thought about where Cas crashed when he needed to. He made a slight noise of disapproval, and Cas flinched.

“Wait, wait, no, it’s fine!” he stumbled, trying to correct what Cas had evidently thought. “I mean, no, it’s not fine, but- rgh, damnit!” He scowled, contradicting himself a couple times. What he was trying to say was that Cas shouldn’t be sleeping on the couch, but it wasn’t inconveniencing anybody else. But for some reason, Dean’s words wouldn’t work with him like that, and now he just sounded like an idiot. _Damnit_. Cas glanced at him with a puzzled expression. He went back to work for a couple seconds, then finished stirring some cream into a mug and presented it to Dean. Dean took the mug, avoiding Cas’s eyes with a scowl. He stood by Cas and watched him make the other cups, offhandedly taking a sip of the coffee. A unexpected burst of strange flavour hit him hard. It tasted creamy, different to his usual black, but a perfect mix of cream, milk, sugar and coffee. Dean’s eyes lit up as he licked his lips, grunting in approval. “Damn, Cas, where’d you learn how to make coffee like that?” he asked. Cas let out a sigh of remembrance and faint annoyance.

“Whenever Lucifer slept, when he was still in heaven, he would wake up and be quite rude to the other angels. Gabriel picked up the habit as well, until he found coffee and became addicted to it. He particularly liked a certain “pumpkin spiced latte”, but they were only available at some times, so I learned how to make it for him. No one else thought it was worthwhile. But Lucifer and Gabriel didn’t do it themselves, so I took on the role of brewing it for them and the other angels that they attracted to it.” Cas huffed, starting on a couple other mugs. Dean snorted in amusement.

“So you became the barista for the angel brigade?” he joked. “Cas’s Angel coffee Shop? Angel Bucks?” he suggested, grinning. Cas tilted his head in confusion.

“I’m not running a coffee shop, and I don’t understand that reference.” He said, puzzled. _Yeah, Cas was sure amazing._  Dean thought, shaking his head and grinning. He took another sip of his coffee and sat down over on the couch.

“How does Sam take his coffee?” Cas asked, finishing up the cups he had already set up.

“What, this good stuff isn’t all for me?” Dean pouted. Cas turned and glared at him, but his mouth jerked upwards at the edges as he raised an eyebrow and tried not to grin. “Just kidding. He takes it dark, but some kind of soy-pumpkin-spice combo might be up his weirdo alley,” Dean recommended. Cas chuckled, and turned to grab more things out of the cupboards.

Quiet reigned in the kitchen, but it was a comfortable silence. Dean swirled the foamy coffee around in the mug, taking a long gulp. He sauntered over to the couch where Cas had been sleeping, and grabbed the blankets in one arm.

“You know…” he said backwards to Cas, “You could, you know, crash in my room when you need to,” Dean casually suggested. Cas paused and inclined his head towards Dean, brows pursed. “Only if you wanted, of course!” he added. His face was a deep red blush. _Oh shit you screwed up… what the hell is wrong with you?_ He cursed himself. Cas licked his chapped lips, thinking, and ruffled a hand through his perpetual bed-hair.

“I… ah…” he stuttered. Dean screwed his eyes shut, cringing. _God, why can’t I just think before I speak? Now I just sound like some weird creeper to Cas..._ But to his surprise, after a few seconds Cas nodded.

“Well, if you’re sure… and it wouldn’t be too much of a burden?” he worried, his soulful wide eyes making him look like a hesitant puppy. Dean felt all the self-hatred he had put upon himself seem to disappear. There was only a happy, energised feeling of butterflies, beating out of his chest. He imagined that Cas could hear it even from where he stood.

“No- no! It wouldn’t be a bother at all. I’ll take these up and set something up for you. Want me to send Sam and the others down?” Dean had adrenaline coursing through his body. He hadn’t screwed up, for once!

Cas smiled, his eyes becoming a little less wide but still swimming with the colours of the ocean. “Yes, that would be much appreciated. Thank you, Dean.” Dean finished off his coffee and put it on the counter, then went upstairs with a smile on his face and a giddy feeling in his stomach.

_Damn those deep blue eyes._


End file.
